The Tale of the Trial

Today I want to tell you a tale. It is more than a story, more than folklore, and more than legend. It is tale from days of old, a tale of One that makes all things new. It is a tale the world does not understand; a tale that is nonetheless true. It is the tale that answers the question… why did He die for me? Today… I tell you the Tale of the Trial. And be mindful for as this tale is told… things are more than they appear.

The dreaded day had come. Jesus tried to tell them. He tried to let them know a day was coming when He would no longer be with them.

He told them, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.” (John 13:33) The disciples were willing to follow Jesus wherever He would go. Peter was upset. “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” (John 13:37) Little did Peter know… Jesus was about to lay down His life for him.

Betrayed with a kiss and now led as a lamb to the slaughter, Jesus was shackled, surrounded by the very people He came to set free. Ridiculed. Mocked. Beaten. Jesus was now a prisoner in the hands of the religious leaders.

These men tried to entrap Him because they did not like His message. Although they should have been the first to recognize Him, they did not receive Him. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” (John 1:10).

What had He done to deserve such treatment? This man… this Jesus… had healed the sick, cleansed the leper, fed the five thousand, set free the demon possessed, gave aid to the afflicted, brought hope to the hopeless, comfort to the mourning, and life to those declared to be dead.

Was He arrested while trying to lead an insurrection? Was He bound while leading a revolution? No… soul by soul, person by person… Jesus brought new life. Jesus brought revival. He was arrested… while praying in the Garden… while His followers slept unaware.

Jesus was to stand and face his accusers. Jesus was going to trial.

A trial is a test. A trial is a formal examination of evidence before a judge, and typically before a jury, in order to decide guilt in a case of criminal or civil proceedings. But in this case, the judge and jury had minds made up before Jesus ever entered the courtroom.

Why would this blameless man be forced to stand before these leaders? What actions or statements would Jesus need to defend? But the trial had begun… and His life would hang in the balance.

He was Accused

Witness after witness, story after story, falsehood after falsehood, accusations were made but not one of them would stick. It looked as if the betrayal and the arrest were all for nothing. They couldn’t make accusation with a lie… but then two came forward… with the truth.

SCOTT - DISRUPTIVE “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.” (Matthew 26:61)

ROGER - I was with Scott and I heard Jesus say this! He said He could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days!

(Matt 26:62) “Are you not going to answer?” they said. “What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” (Matt 26:63) “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” (PLAY VIDEO)

No false testimony would stick. The people knew Jesus too well to believe the lies people were saying of Him. No falsehood could stand in the trial… but the truth. The truth was a different story. Jesus spoke nothing but the truth.

Before the leadership stood the Messiah… the Son of God - this was true enough. It wasn’t the truth that brought accusation against Jesus… it was the unbelief of the people. It was the lack of faith in the leadership. Jesus now stood accused and those in leadership wanted Him silenced once and for all. But they did not have the authority to carry out such a sentence… so the trial continued.

He was Acquitted

Jesus was taken before two authorities… two men in positions of power that could solidify the sentence.

First, Jesus was taken to the roman governor - a man named Pilate. This man knew this was a bad situation. This man wanted nothing to do with the plot before him. Instead of dealing with the crowd directly, he sent Jesus to stand before Herod. Let Herod deal with this problem.

But Herod found no wrong against Jesus. Herod mocked Him, he ridiculed Him, but no fault was ever found in Him. After dressing Jesus in an elegant robe, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.

A crowd screamed for His death, but the authorities found no wrong in Jesus. Pilate pleaded with the people, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.” (Luke 23:14-15)

You see, Jesus was acquitted. Jesus was found to be blameless in the eyes of the authorities yet the crowd demanded he be put to death. Chastisement wasn’t good enough. Punishment wasn’t good enough. The people wanted death.

Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”

And with that… the accused who was acquitted, was sentenced to death.

He was Sentenced to Death

How could such a travesty take place? How was it that Jesus was acquitted but then sentenced to die? How was it that those in power were powerless to change the outcome Of Jesus’ trial? Because there was more going on within this situation than what appeared on the surface. You see… things are more than they appear.

A crime HAD been committed. Laws HAD been broken. But not by Jesus… Although Jesus had not committed the crime, He came to pay the price for the offense.

As Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin, something very important took place. Jesus took on the sins of this world. He took on our disbelief. He took on our disobedience. He took on our offenses, our transgressions, and our iniquities.

No false word regarding Jesus would stand… but only the truth would remain. Jesus was the Messiah… Jesus was who John the Baptist described Him to be, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

You see, in order for Jesus to “take away” the sins of the world… Jesus took on the sins of this world. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

This transition of sin… this transition of blame… was NOTHING that any one man could do. This was the plan of God. This was the will of the heavenly Father. God placed the sin of the world… onto the shoulders of His Son. As Jesus stood on trial… no blame could be found in Him… BUT HE WILLFULLY TOOK ON THE BLAME OF THIS WORLD… AND PAID THE PRICE WE COULD NOT PAY.

Isaiah 53:5-6 NKJV reads, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

The Truth of the Tale

The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. The truth of the tale points back to you and to me. The truth of the tale is that WE, you and I, are the reason Jesus was on trial that day. The truth of the tale is that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Our sin placed Jesus on trial that day. We cannot think of the truth of the tale as something distant or irrelevant for we are to blame for the blame that was placed on Jesus.

Jesus didn’t deserve to be there. The local authorities could find no blame in Him! yet He took on our sin because it was something we had no answer for. We could not work our way around it… we could not earn our way out from under it… there is no deed good enough or task great enough that would break its ever-holding grasp. SIN, without proper payment, IS UNDENIABLE AND INESCAPABLE!

From the moment sin entered this world in the Garden of Eden, humankind owed a price that was simply too big, to heavy to pay. Sin came at great cost…

That cost is death. The wages of sin is death. What our disobedience and rebellion has “earned” is death. And no other payment will suffice. The ONLY source sufficient to make payment was the blood of the spotless Lamb… a source this world could not provide.

Fully aware of our brokenness, fully aware of our need, Jesus is the answer we are looking for. Sin came at great cost… but Jesus has paid that price in full! Jesus became that spotless Lamb… that needed sacrifice sufficient to cover ALL sin.

Romans 3:23 in fact reads all have sinned. All have fallen short. But I want you to see the hope offered in the very next verse. Romans 3:24 all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, m through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.

You see… we had no answer. We had NOTHING to offer that could break the hold sin had on us. God presented His Son, Jesus, as the ultimate sacrifice, as the One who truly could take away the sins of this world… your sin… my sin. There is no sin too great or wrongdoing too small. Jesus’ blood covers them all! Jesus is the Savior this world so desperately needs!

The key is in recognizing who Jesus is and the world struggles with this even to this day.

As we looked at before, John 1:10 declares “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” John the Baptist rightfully identifies Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World” in verse 29… and Jesus confirmed His identity before His accusers while He stood on trial… and this truth would become the basis for His accusation. Jesus would die… because He is our Savior. Jesus would die because He is the Messiah.

And for those who believe in Jesus for who He is, John 1:12 says “to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

God has GIVEN us His Son… Jesus has GIVEN us His life… that we might be redeemed… that we might be transformed… that we might be forgiven… that we might be set free… that we might become children of our God!

Why did Jesus die for us? He died… to wash our sins away!

And He desires to do that very thing for you right now… this very moment. Jesus took on our sin, took on our accusation… and nailed it all to the cross. His blood was shed for you… His body was beaten and broken for you… the nails did not hold Him to the cross… His love for you held Him to the cross! He desires to set you free today but you must believe! You must receive Him for who He is!

The authorities missed it because they could not see the truth before them. JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD. HE IS THE SAVIOR OF OUR SINS.

But before you can be saved… you must believe. You must come to the understanding that yes… you have sinned. Yes… the wages of sin is death. No… you have no answer in yourself or in your resources for the sin debt that you owe. Yes… JESUS REALLY DID DIE FOR YOU! Yes… Jesus wants to set you free!

Prayer - SALVATION

Worship - Thank you Jesus for taking on our sin… for washing our sins away… for becoming the Lamb who takes away the sins of this world!